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South Texas is not only going to get its first interstate - it is also going to get a second and a third. State transportation officials knew one of three southern highways - U.S. Highway 281 in Hidalgo County, U.S. Highway 77 in Cameron County or U.S. Highway 59 in Webb County - would eventually become part of an interstate stretching from the Texas-Mexico border to Texarkana, in the northeast part of the state. Only Webb County is currently served by an interstate. The state's Trans-Texas Corridor plan calls for an Interstate 69 extension linking South Texas to points north,...

France secretly upgrades capacity of nuclear arsenal · Modification increases range of missiles· Altitude bomb to knock out electronic systems Kim Willsher in Paris Friday February 10, 2006 The Guardian (UK) France has secretly modified its nuclear arsenal to increase the strike range and accuracy of its weapons. The move comes weeks after President Jacques Chirac warned that states which threatened the country could face the "ultimate warning" of a nuclear retaliation. A military source quoted yesterday by the Libération newspaper claimed France had tinkered with its nuclear weapons to improve their strike capability and make this threat more credible....

With crumbling streets, gridlocked traffic and mounds of trash, Los Angeles County's deteriorating infrastructure needs $50 billion in upgrades over the next five years to meet growing demands, a statewide engineers group said Thursday. Of nearly a dozen infrastructure systems studied, the county's streets, highways and urban-runoff systems received the lowest grades - D's - while its solid-waste system got a B-plus. Flood control, wastewater and port systems got B's. Giving the county an average grade of C-plus, the American Society of Civil Engineers warned that significant problems are on the horizon for the infrastructure unless there are changes in...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Aug. 29, 2005) -- Many changes are in store for Army aviation, beginning with a contract for 368 new Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters. “ARH is the next significant step in modernizing and transforming Army Aviation,” said Col. Mark Hayes, TRADOC system manager for reconnaissance and attack, located at Fort Rucker, Ala. The $2.2 billion contract with Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. -- awarded July 29 with a signing ceremony Aug. 29 -- calls for delivery of 38 of the new aircraft by fiscal year 2008, with the remainder delivered by fiscal year 2013. “The ARH will have a...

The next time you visit the Web site of Microsoft Corp. to download some software, be prepared to let the world’s biggest software company have a look inside your computer. In a determined strike to quell the proliferation of counterfeit software, Microsoft is now requiring that all customers coming to its Web site for upgrades and other downloads submit their computers to an electronic frisking. If you use one of the estimated 100 million PCs running pirated software, don’t expect your upgrade. For Microsoft, the new policy is a stepped-up effort to combat the loss of billions of dollars’ worth...

Like Mark Twain's death, the demise of the tank has been "greatly exaggerated." A weekend conversation with my World War II and Korea vet father spurs this column. Dad had seen a short video I shot in Iraq that featured my staff section racing down Baghdad's "Route Irish" in an unarmored SUV. Dad asked about the handling characteristics of SUVs and Humvees with "add-on" armor -- light vehicles that weren't designed to carry the extra weight. He then compared what I told him about steel plates and Kevlar panels to a Korean War "armor upgrade" to counter land mines: sandbags...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - California air pollution regulators, frustrated with the failure of a voluntary plan promoted by the trucking industry, instituted mandatory requirements Thursday to clean up illegal diesel engines. Air quality groups hope California's decision once again ripples across the country, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency struggles with the same nationwide enforcement problem. The decision applies to an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 vehicles licensed in other states that drive through California, as well as 58,000 California-licensed trucks. But the Engine Manufacturers Association suggested it will sue on behalf of its members, who believe they shouldn't have to pay...

FORT WORTH, Texas - The U.S. Army has rushed a handful of upgrades for the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter into the field in recent months, making the aircraft easier to deploy and extending its combat range by nearly an hour, according to industry and government officials. Several of the upgrades, part of the Apache's proposed Block 3 modernization program, weren't intended to be incorporated for several years. However, they became more urgent last fall as Pentagon leaders began planning the buildup of forces for an invasion of Iraq, Col. Ralph Pallotta, program director for the Apache program, said April 10.The...

By John Lettice Posted: 07/19/2002 at 02:15 EST Microsoft's sales grew 10 per cent in its fourth quarter, helped by what is described as strong demand by business for Windows XP. This strong demand might under other circumstances be viewed as curious, considering businesses have battened down the hatches are are taking an extremely leery view of IT investment, but currently we have the small matter of the Licensing 6 31st July switch or die deadline. We'd have said 'strong surrender' was more appropriate. Microsoft also has this month to run before 6 kicks in, so should benefit in Q1...